Under Pressure
by ittybittymattycommittee
Summary: Hal wakes up from unconsciousness. Again. It's different this time, though. [Matt/Hal/Ben brotp focus, with insinuated romances in the background]
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note:** Matt has seen Hal unconscious so many times in canon, I started thinking about what Hal's reaction might be if the reverse happened._

* * *

Slowly regaining his senses, Hal pinpointed the familiar feeling rushing through his body. He must have been unconscious.

This felt different, though. Normally, he heard voices calling out his name, but this time there was only the crackle of electricity and a weak wheezing sound. He tried to guess what they could be coming from, but the last thing he remembered was walking down into an abandoned bomb shelter on a supply run.

Hal hoisted himself up on his elbows, slowly, and finally opened his eyes. The ceiling lamp was broken and the demolished hatch door obstructed most of the sunlight, but he could see enough to piece together what had happened. Someone had tried to blow up the bomb shelter with them in it.

 _Them_...

A rush of panic swept over Hal as he remembered that he was on a routine mission. Low risk. With Matt.

"Matt!", Hal yelled as loud as his dust filled lungs would allow him. "MATT!"

The only reply he got was from himself, coughing violently. The busted lamp was still crackling, but he couldn't hear the wheezing anymore. He prayed to whichever god he could think of that it had been his own, and not Matt's.

Hal kept screaming Matt's name and coughing as he wiggled to free himself from the rubble on top of him. He wasn't sure if it didn't weigh much, or if his adrenaline was giving him superhuman strength, but it only took one try get it off himself.

Hal's eyes darted across the room, frantically searching for anything that could be Matt. His eyes hadn t fully adjusted to the darkness yet, but squinting at what looked like a toppled over cabinet, he thought he could make out a head of curls sticking out under it.

"Matt..."

This time, Hal's voice was quiet and careful, as if not wanting to disturb his little brother, but the way he climbed frantically over the debris separating the two of them said something different.

"Come on, buddy", Hal pleaded, kneeling down on a patch of broken glass without even registering the pain. "Come on."

He reached out and brushed Matt's wild mop of hair out of his eyes, swallowing thickly when he noticed they were closed. He held his breath as he checked for a pulse with trembling fingers.

A big part of Hal wished Ben had come with them on this supply run. He would have never wanted both of his little brothers to be in danger, but there was no denying Ben was the brains of the bunch. Ben would have payed attention when they learned about CPR. Ben would have known what to do if he couldn't find a pulse...

As if on cue, Hal felt something thump against his fingertips. It was far too faint for comfort, but it still had him praising and thanking the world under his breath. He also made a mental note of appreciating Ben's intelligence more in the future.

"I'm gonna get you out, buddy. Don't worry."

Hal had a sinking feeling Matt couldn't hear him, but he kept talking anyway as he tried to figure out how to get him out safely. It was a way of forcing himself to hold onto hope.

"Hey. I don't know if you remember this, but when you were little you were the master of bringing things down on yourself", Hal laughed hollowly. "Mom had to bolt the bookcases to the wall because you kept climbing them."

What small smile those memories invoked was wiped from Hal's face when he realized how heavy the cabinet on top of Matt was. Hopefully not too heavy to lift, but definitely heavy enough to be crushing Matt's tiny body.

"If you can hear me-..." Hal whispered, bracing himself. "Take a deep breath and lie still. I'm lifting in 3... 2... 1... Now."

Summoning every ounce of strength in his body, Hal performed not only the heaviest lift of his athlete career, but the most important one as well.

Somehow, by sheer willpower, Hal managed to get enough space between the rubble and Matt to wedge himself in there. Wasting no time, he scooped up Matt's limp body with one arm, pressing him close to his chest as he painstakingly held their escape route open long enough to get free.

The sound of the cabinet coming crashing back down just inches away sent shivers down Hal's spine. He stood there, cradling Matt close for a second, until the faint ragged breaths tickling Hal's neck snapped him out of his reverie.

Carefully making their way out of the demolished bomb shelter, Hal continued to carry Matt back towards camp. It wasn't until then he had time to really look at his banged up little brother, and he realized it was the first time he'd seen him knocked out like that.

Matt's face was completely void of expression. In a way, he looked more relaxed unconscious than when he was sleeping. Their family had always sworn Matt slept with a mischievous smile. Not until now did Hal know how unsettling it was to see him without it.

Hal picked up his pace, pushing through the crushing feeling inside, and solemnly wondered if this was how Matt had felt every time he'd seen _him_ unconscious...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's note:** This wasn't originally supposed to be a multi-chapter fic, but thanks to forgetting to check "completed", and some really kind reviewers, I was inspired to keep going._

* * *

Every step felt too slow, despite the fact that Hal was all out running now. His body ached for him to reach camp. His heart as well.

"Almost there, alright?", he panted. "Just down this street."

A vaguely affirmative noise escaped Matt's lips, and Hal almost tripped on the curb.

"Matt?! Matt, hey! You there, pal?"

Hal got another unintelligible sound as a response, but it was enough to give him a boost during his final sprint.

Surrounding their camp was a small perimeter with fighters on patrol that Hal wasted no time yelling for.

"Hal?", Maggie's voice called back for him, far too neutrally to have noticed the state he was in. Much less the semi-conscious body he was carrying.

"Maggie!", Hal yelled, relieved but still urgent. "Get Anne!"

Holding the gate open for him, trying to assess the situation, Maggie was taken aback when she saw the brothers up close.

"Oh my god...", she gasped, before turning to the stunned soldier next to her. "What are you waiting for?! Go find Anne! Tell her we're coming!"

The man promptly set off towards the make-shift clinic while Maggie tried to relieve Hal's tired arms of Matt's weight.

"I've got it", he protested, despite trembling from exhaustion.

"Hal, you're hurt too. It's not gonna help anyone if you collapse."

It pained Hal to admit in when it came to this, but Maggie was right. Slowly and carefully, they transferred Matt into Maggie's arms, and she did everything in her power to hold him as steadily as she could. She knew it wasn't just anyone Hal would trust with his family like this.

"What happened?", Maggie finally asked Hal, ignoring and pushing through the curious faces they passed on their way inside.

"I don't know... Well, there was an explosion. A bomb or a grenade, I figured. Whatever it was, it blew the whole place up around us. When I came to, I-..."

Hal didn't need to finish his explanation. Maggie knew enough.

She knew that when she'd gotten the boys to Anne, and they were both out of the woods, she would make whoever hurt them her mission.


	3. Chapter 3

"How long has he been unconscious?", Anne asked once the initial shock had settled. Matt was responsive enough to stir a little, but not much more than that.

"I don't know", Hal replied. "We weren't that far out, but I don't know how long I was blacked out for either." His face was harrowed, and he seemed deeply distraught by his inability to be of help.

"Judging from what you've told us, it was probably only a matter of seconds", Lourdes' soothing voice assured him. "Nobody who's been unconscious for an extended period of time would have woken up and reacted to everything as fast as you did."

It was clear that Lourdes was trying to assure Hal he'd done everything he could, and for that Maggie nodded appreciatively. Hal, however, just stared at Anne while she worked on Matt.

"Dad. And Ben", Hal said suddenly, but still not taking his eyes off his little brother. Maggie quickly located some spare personnel, and wasted no time sending them to find the rest of the Masons.

Meanwhile, Lourdes took the opportunity to bring Hal a chair.

"Sit down." She gently guided Hal into it. "We really need to examine you too. That gash is-"

"Fine. I'm fine", Hal insisted while getting right back up, only wobbling slightly. "Help Matt instead."

Lourdes sighed and nodded reluctantly. It could be a bit frustrating, but the best way to help a Mason was always to help another Mason first. Even so, she pressed some gauze to Hal's neck and instructed him to hold. Again, Maggie shot her an appreciative look.

"Well, he definitely has a concussion. I can tell _that_ much", Anne stated once she had finished checking Matt's pupillary responses. "The rest is less certain, unfortunately. I'm gonna need a full set of scans to rule out any broken bones or internal damage-, that goes for you too, Hal."

Maggie placed a firm hand on his shoulder to keep him from protesting.

"And even the concussion... It's not behaving like your typical traumatic brain injury." The concern in Anne's voice was obvious. It had everyone listening intently. "He should be awake by now. Or _completely_ unresponsive. But he's neither."

She squeezed Matt's hand demonstratively, and on cue, he groaned hoarsely.

"I don't understand", Hal said. "Isn't that a good thing? That he's reacting to stuff?" He grabbed Matt's other hand when it twitched at the sound of his older brother's voice.

"Normally, absolutely. It's a clear sign of brain activity." Anne sighed and rubbed her forehead. "It just doesn't fit with a normal concussion. Like I said, he should have woken up already."

Hal really tried to make sense of the information, but his head felt like a fuzzy mess. And it sounded like even Anne couldn't fully make sense of everything.

"Hal, I think you'd better sit down."

It was either Maggie or Lourdes. Or both.

"Hal."

Whoever it was, he wasn't listening.

"Hal?"

He stood firmly, in his opinion, by Matt's bedside. He didn't even turn around when he heard the rest of his family rushing through the doors. He only sighed in relief.

"Finally", Hal had just enough time to say before collapsing.


	4. Chapter 4

"-hoping it's just exhaustion", Hal could hear someone say. "You can put him in that chair over there."

Hal felt himself being lowered carefully into a seat. If he hadn't opened his eyes right then and made out the familiar shape of Ben, he would've never guessed.

"Dad! Anne! He's coming to already!"

The emotion in Ben's voice almost made Hal emotional himself. The more his vision cleared, the more apparent the fear in Ben's eyes became. Also that they were darting between him and a heart monitor.

Hal's subsequent leap to his feet was prevented by both Ben and Maggie, whom he now realized had been steadying his shoulders from behind.

"Whoa! Don't even think about it!", Lourdes yelled, coming running from the med cabinets. She was using her no nonsense voice, which was surprisingly powerful for someone as small as her.

"Hal. Hal, listen to me. Your dad is right here with Matt, okay? And Anne's taking care of him", Maggie tried to calm Hal with. "She just finished hooking him up to some monitors. Just as a precaution."

"Stay where you are, Hal", Tom's voice cut in from Matt's bedside. Amazingly, it sounded commanding even when it was really shaky. "Let Lourdes check on you."

"I'm-"

"No, you're not. You're not fine", Ben cut Hal off like he could read his mind. "You just fainted, and you're covered in cuts and bruises."

"There would have been even more if Ben hadn't caught you", Maggie added.

Hal leaned back a little, away from Ben, feeling embarrassed and guilty. Seizing her opportunity, Lourdes tilted his chin up and shone a light in his eyes.

"Alright", she said once she was satisfied with the examination. "The bad news is it looks like you've got a concussion too. The good news is it's really minor. You just need to lay down and rest. And _not_ overexert yourself."

"I need to stay here", Hal replied firmly. Ben was twisting and looking over his shoulder, and Hal was trying to look around him.

"What if we push the chair a little closer?", Maggie asked Lourdes. "I'll make sure he keeps sitting down."

Lourdes looked at Anne, who sighed, but ultimately nodded.

Giving him no chance to attempt it on his own, Ben helped Hal up while Maggie moved the chair. They sat him down across the bed from Tom, who was anxiously trying to meet Hal's gaze.

Hal couldn't take his eyes off Matt, though. He looked just as banged up as before, albeit a little less dirty.

The way Ben's hand was shaking on Hal's shoulder told him this was the first proper look he'd gotten of their little brother, so without thinking, Hal reached up to hold it steady.

He just hoped his hand wasn't shaking even worse.


	5. Chapter 5

"His scans show a hairline fracture of the right shoulder, but otherwise things look surprisingly good. No internal injuries", Anne said, and the room breathed a collective sigh of relief. Lourdes was already threading Matt's arm through a stabilizing brace, just in case he woke up suddenly.

"Unfortunately, or well, fortunately, I didn't find anything beyond a severe concussion that could explain why he's still only semi-conscious", Anne continued. She rubbed Matt's leg comfortingly when he winced at Lourdes' touch. "I almost wish I had. It could have helped me treat this... Now, I'm afraid there's not much more we can do really but wait."

As much as she wanted to let everyone have a minute to process her findings, Anne knew they needed to check over Hal thoroughly, sooner rather than later. Reluctantly, she nodded at Lourdes, leaving her in charge of monitoring Matt.

"Hal. I know you want to stay here, but-"

"I'm not going anywhere", Hal cut Anne off. "Whatever you wanna do, whatever you wanna check me for, you can do, but I'm not leaving this spot."

"Hal", Maggie pleaded, but Ben shook his head to tell her that arguing was futile. Nothing short of a rift in the very fabric of the universe could separate the Masons when one of them was hurt.

"Okay", Anne said. "But you're sitting completely still, and you're gonna let me examine you properly when Matt has woken up."

"Deal."

Hal leaned back, trying to be as compliant as possible while still holding onto Matt's hand. He wished he could show more gratitude towards Anne for her help, especially now that her words ran like a life-sustaining mantra through his head:

"When Matt has woken up."

" _When_."


	6. Chapter 6

Ben watched in silence while Anne worked on Hal. Maggie was standing right next to them, ensuring Hal's obedience, which allowed Tom to focus on Matt. Ben wished he could do the same, but his mind was scattered in a million directions.

How badly was Hal hurt? Why had he fainted? What had happened to Matt? When was he gonna wake up? Was there anything they could do besides monitoring all of this helplessly?

Ben felt like he'd exhausted every possibility he could think of, but he couldn't just resolve to staring at the screens of a bunch of machines and praying for answers.

Unless...

"Cochise", Ben said suddenly.

That made Tom look up and search the room expectantly.

"The Volm's medical equipment is more advanced than ours, right?", Ben asked. Everyone understood it was rhetorical question, so they waited for him to elaborate.

"Maybe they have more equipment? Diagnostics equipment?", he continued. "Maybe they've got something that could tell us why Matt's not waking up?"

Now everyone was looking at Anne instead.

"I suppose it's possible", she said, sounding carefully optimistic. "We know the Volm don't always lay all their cards on the table."

Maggie knew Hal well enough to keep him in his seat before he could even think about moving.

"I'll run and get Cochise", Maggie said, but Tom shook his head.

"No. I'll do it", he said firmly. "You go inform Weaver of the situation. We need to warn everyone, in case Hal and Matt were targeted as a part of the 2nd Mass."

Ben looked a bit surprised. Not that Tom wanted to be the one to talk to Cochise, but that he'd volunteer to go. Then again, Matt and Hal appeared to be stable and the trip to the Volm compound probably wouldn't take long.

Without another word, Tom kissed the top of Matt's head and avoided eye contact as he exited the room. Ben could still read his face, though. It struck him with the realization that leaving to find Cochise was an opportunity for his dad to cry without them seeing it.

With tears of his own burning to be shed, Ben almost wished he could leave the room too.

"Ben. Bless your genius nerd brain."

But only almost.


	7. Chapter 7

Hal gently wound and unwound one of Matt's curls around his finger. It was something he used to do when Matt was really little, back before he could protest. Now he only did it when Matt was sleeping.

A small twitch of Matt's head reminded Hal that he wasn't technically asleep.

"I wish I'd been there...", Ben suddenly said, also reminding Hal that he wasn't alone.

Tom had ran off to find Cochise, Maggie was talking to Weaver, and once Anne had stitched up the nasty gash on Hal's neck, she went to check on her other patients.

But Ben. Ben was right beside Hal. Right where Hal wanted him. At least right now.

"I don't", Hal replied. "Actually, I'm really glad you weren't there."

Ben pressed his lips into a thin line. Hal didn't even have to look at him to know he was doing it.

"But I could have _helped_ ", Ben said, sounding like he was struggling not to get upset. "I could have gotten you back faster. I could have shielded you from-"

"Hey", Hal interrupted sternly. "Don't even think about blaming yourself for this. You weren't there, and that's a hell of a good thing."

Their raised voices made Matt stir and let out a pained whimper. Hal apologized while shushing Matt comfortingly.

"I'm glad you weren't there", Hal said again, only much more quietly. Almost gently.

"I'm glad because I wouldn't have wanted you to get hurt too." Hal wasn't looking at Ben, which might have been what made it easier to admit. He was looking at Matt's bruised and barely responsive face. It made him even more sure of what he was telling his other little brother.

"And you know Matt wouldn't have wanted you to get hurt either", Hal added with conviction. He wound one of Matt's curls around his finger again, just holding it affectionately for a moment before unwinding it. He thought he heard a sniffle and turned to confirm that he was wrong. Just to be sure.

But Ben's eyes were filled to the brim with tears which threatened to spill over at any second. Hal could see he was shaking too, which without thinking made him place one hand on Ben's back, before offering the other for him to take.

Ben barely hesitated. He grabbed Hal with one hand and Matt with the other, while sobs tore painfully through his body. Thankfully, it wasn't long before the faint pulsating feeling of his brothers' hearts pumping blood through their bodies started calming him down.

"I hope you're gonna be okay", Ben sniffled after a while, to which Hal squeezed his hand a little tighter.

"I hope you're gonna be okay too."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's note:** Damn. Look at me, almost writing chapter-length chapters. ;)_

* * *

Tom marched straight into the Volm compound and towards a gathering of soldiers. Normally, he tried to announce his presence first, but he didn't have time for pleasantries right now. His vision was beginning to blur behind the pools in his eyes. Thankfully, Cochise's kind of awkward non-typical stance for his species was unmistakable.

"Co-... Cochise", Tom said, his voice already breaking. At least he managed to draw Cochise's attention, who quickly mumbled something in his native language to make the crowd around them disperse.

"Tom Mason?", Cochise said, sounding more confused than concerned. It led Tom to believe the Volm might not be entirely privy to how humans express emotional turmoil just yet, since he definitely both looked and sounded a mess.

"I... There's been an incident", Tom said, drawing a deep breath to compose himself. "One of our scouting groups has been attacked, and we could use some help. Medically."

That just made Cochise look even more confused.

"Is the equipment we have supplied your medical professionals with not sufficient?", Cochise asked curiously. If Tom hadn't known Cochise, he might have taken the question as a dig at their doctors, but Tom could tell Cochise didn't mean it like that.

"No. I mean, it's been tremendously helpful, but we don't know what to do right now. We don't even know what's wrong." Tom wiped at his eyes before throwing his arms up. "We need something. I don't know. Some sort of diagnostics device. Something that could tell us what the hell's going on."

Cochise made a grunting sound that Tom had learned to associate with hard thinking. It always rumbled deep within Tom's chest, but didn't usually feel this unsettling. Just as Tom was about to sigh impatiently, Cochise stopped; prepared to voice his thoughts.

"Firstly, I would be obligated to send a communication to my superior officers, to receive their input on the matter. But there is a possibility-"

"We might not have that kind of time, Cochise!" Tom wasn't proud of snapping like that, ever, but he couldn't help it. The last thing he wanted to hear out of Cochise's mouth right now was Volm bureaucracy.

"I am sorry, Tom, but it is not within my power to decide which technology we will share with other species", Cochise informed Tom apologetically. Sadly, an apology just wasn't enough in this case.

"It's Matt", Tom countered somberly, and _finally_ , Cochise started looking as concerned as Tom felt everyone should be.

"It might be Hal too", Tom added. "He's awake, but we don't know why, or even if he still could be affected somehow by whatever's keeping Matt unconscious." He couldn't even think about the possibility of that without covering his face and rubbing it in frustration.

Without another word, Cochise turned and gestured for Tom to follow him. It was so sudden that Tom didn't react until Cochise was almost 15 yards away. He had to jog a little to catch up.

"I am breaching several protocols simply by discussing this without permission", Cochise stated. "But the technology we have shared with your people is a fairly small portion of what we possess in total."

Tom nodded, not that surprised really. The more he thought about it, the more he realized the amount of unknown gadgets and gizmos he'd spotted around the Volm.

"The majority of the medical devices we have withheld from you are so specific to the Volm anatomy that we assumed humans would find little use for them. Among these are a number of powerful diagnostics tools."

"... However?", Tom asked, dreading the big "however" he felt was coming.

"However...", Cochise replied as expected. "Human and Volm anatomy is radically different, as you surely must have noticed." Tom laughed dryly. "Even if the devices prove applicable to humans, they may be too powerful."

Tom stopped dead in his tracks to brace himself against a wall. He wanted to make fast progress, to make it back to the clinic as fast as possible, but he couldn't hear this without some sort of support.

Cochise had stopped only a short step down the corridor, looking between Tom's trembling form and his own hands, which were twitching indecisively at his sides.

"You're saying that a scan with one of those devices could work?" Tom swallowed hard. "You're saying it could work and it could tell us what to do?"

"Yes", Cochise answered meekly, looking at the floor now.

"But you're also saying-", Tom could barely think it, let alone form the words. "You're also saying that the scan in itself could be fatal?"

"... Yes."


	9. Chapter 9

"If what you're suggesting is right, we might be dealing with a targeted attack", Weaver speculated.

Once Maggie had finished briefing him of the facts of the mysterious circumstances in which Hal and Matt had been injured earlier during the day, she had been quick to supply her own thoughts, and Weaver was hard pressed to find anything he didn't agree with.

"And we _are_ talking about Tom's kids, after all", Weaver said. "If there's one thing except lengthy historical anecdotes that Tom Mason isn't short of, it's enemies. Human and alien. If he was here right now, I he would give us at least a dozen examples of people in history targeting their enemies' families instead of them directly."

Weaver noticed Maggie's hands clenching into white-knuckled fists the more he spoke of the Masons. Everyone in camp knew about her close relationship with the Mason kids. Hell, Weaver himself felt kind of like a mentor or a wise uncle to them. Or, when he was being totally honest with himself; their grandpa... But he knew they couldn't deal with these kind of situations based on relationships and emotions.

"We need to send out a recon patrol", Weaver said. "Gather as much information from the bombing site as possible. It's going to be a silent operation. No confrontations. We can't risk giving up our scouting routes to any passers by roaming around the neighborhood."

"Captain-." Maggie said, but Weaver cut her off. He'd bet his food rations he knew exactly what she was thinking about.

"Which means no charging head first into any passing Mechs or Skitter patrols", Weaver continued. "No tit for tat payback. Is that clear, soldier?"

Maggie's shoulders were squared and her jaw was set. If anyone would dare try to stare down Daniel Weaver, it would most likely be Maggie. However, it was only seconds before she looked away and nodded slowly.

"Clear... Sir", Maggie answered reluctantly, but sincerely, making Weaver put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. You're getting your revenge. _We're_ getting our revenge", Weaver corrected himself. "For now, until we know what's going on, we need to lay low. Tend to our wounded. Gather information. Plan our course of action."

Maggie was nodding along with conviction now.

"But after that, you're free to pencil in as much revenge as you want on your agenda", Weaver said. "As long as you make room for me in those plans."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** I just wanted to thank everyone who's ever read, reviewed, or accidentally clicked on this story. It started as a random one-shot, and I still pretty much make it up as I go along. I never expected people to like follow it or anything, which isn't just incentive to keep writing, but also a huge confidence boost. So, again - thank you.

* * *

Tom reentered Matt's hospital room with much less urgency than Hal or Ben had expected. In fact, Tom almost looked like he wanted to turn around and leave. Whether he didn't because Matt started fussing and turning right then, or for another reason, only Tom himself knew.

"Did you find Cochise?", Hal managed to ask only seconds faster than Ben.

"What did he say?", Ben added, before Tom had the chance to answer Hal.

Tom took ample time to sit down next to Matt and comfort him to the best of his abilities before answering his other two sons.

"Cochise is coming", Tom said while rubbing Matt's hand gently, avoiding jostling the IV line he just noticed Anne had placed in the crook of his elbow. "I went ahead while he gets everything ready."

"Everything? Whoa, what is-. What's 'everything'?", Hal spluttered, eyes widening together with Ben, who seemed shocked into silence.

"Equipment. Volm equipment. Volm diagnostics equipment", Tom explained, stopping to gather himself after every other word. "It could tell us what's-... whatever this is", he said, gesturing at Matt first and later Hal.

Relief washed over Hal's face and smoothed out every frowny crinkle on it. He buried his face in his hands and sighed loudly, wiping at his eyes before looking back at Ben hopefully. But Ben looked anything but.

"What's the catch?", Ben asked Tom straight up. The two rarely danced around the subject with each other. They both knew the other could read them too well.

"Ben..."

"No, Dad", Ben said. "The Volm wouldn't have kept this from us- _Cochise_ wouldn't have kept it from us for so long if there wasn't more to it."

Hal's eyes doubled in size again and started darting between Ben and Tom, wordlessly demanding them to elaborate. If their gazes weren't firmly locked together, they might have been able to see it.

"Incompatible?", Ben asked, when looks weren't enough to keep the silent conversation with his father going anymore.

Hal spun his head around so fast to look at Tom that he had to brace himself to keep from falling out of his chair.

"Inaccessible?", Ben asked next, since Tom neither nodded nor shook his head, giving no indication one way or the other. Tom's eyes remained set on Ben's; desperate but unflinching. It made Ben draw a sharp stunned breath.

"... Dangerous?", Ben almost whispered. What little air he had left in his lungs was expelled the moment Tom broke eye contact.

Tom was staring at Matt, Matt was stirring, and from the way Hal's lips moved, it looked like he was talking. Ben wasn't sure.

It was hard to hear anything over the sound of three racing, pounding, deafening heartbeats.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** I can't apologize enough for how late this update is, so I'm not even gonna try.

* * *

"Try it on me first."

"Whoa, no. We're definitely trying it on _me_ first."

Tom shook his head firmly at his two oldest sons. They had barely realized the new Volm diagnostics device might hurt their little brother before they'd started volunteering as test subjects.

" _I_ would be the one doing it if one of us was going to try it first", Tom said. "... But we're not." He sighed heavily before continuing. "Its effects on children could be completely different from teenagers and adult. If it works fine on me, that still wouldn't guarantee Matt could go through it with no problem."

Ben opened his mouth to argue, but Hal cut him off before he'd even gotten one whole word out.

"But you've gotta run the scan on me anyway. There might be something going on with me too, right?"

His boys were so determined to put themselves in the line of fire for each other that it would have made Tom's heart swell with pride, normally. But he couldn't let them do it this time.

"No", Tom answered with a tone of finality, hinting at how thoroughly he had thought this through already. "I'm not putting any of you through that thing unless I really have to. Which means unless you get rapidly worse, Hal, we're only scanning Matt."

Cupping Matt's cheek, Tom carefully brushed a couple of his soft curls aside to whisper an apology into his ear.

"But I could heal", Ben said. "If the device reacts to me, we would at least have some sort of indication of what could happen. And I could heal if anything did."

"But we wouldn't know if it was reacting to you because you're human or because of your spikes", Tom countered.

Ben's fingers instinctively went to brush over one of the small rods sticking out of his neck, and Tom felt a pang of guilt shoot through him at the sight of it. He only hoped the shaken look on Ben's face was because of his inability to help his little brother, rather than because Tom had basically just used his spikes against him.

"... I'm sorry", Tom said, looking at Ben first, before moving to Hal. "I know you just want to help, but I can't let you do it. Especially not when it probably won't even help with anything."

To himself, Tom thought that even if he had suspected it might have helped, he doubted he would've been able to gamble with one of his sons' lives to save another. In a twisted way, it was good that Hal and Ben couldn't help Matt this time. It left no options of what to do.

And if something did go wrong, God forbid, Tom reasoned that this way it would be no-one's fault but his own.


	12. Chapter 12

"The examination will have to be preformed in the designated medical area of our compound", Cochise said.

"The Volm compound?", Tom asked in surprise. "Why can't we do it here? I mean, where Matt already is", he clarified, gesturing towards the door behind them. "Wouldn't it be better to move him as little as we have to?"

Something about Cochise's expression, especially the hesitant way he nodded, made Tom dread his reply.

"That would be ideal, yes", Cochise agreed. But following the statement was a noise that Tom had learned to identify as the Volm way of sighing. This time, it sounded sad.

"However, the equipment needed to examine him is not well-suited for transportation. Even if we were successful in moving it, it is highly doubtful that it would fit in this limited space."

Tom could only stare at Cochise as it sunk in. He thought after all this time, after everything that had happened, including the end of civilization as they knew it, he would've grown used to bad news. But when it came to his kids, there was no getting used to the constant danger they were in.

"Okay", Tom finally said. At Cochise's surprised reaction, he elaborated. "You're doing what you can do. I get that. And we're grateful for any help you can give us."

"If you require assistance, we will of course help with the transportation process as well."

Cochise spoke with such sincerity and eagerness that it made Tom think he would carry Matt himself if he had to. His insides fluttered strangely at the thought... He'd say "pleasantly" if the word didn't feel so inappropriate at the moment.

"Thank you", Tom smiled weakly as he touched Cochise's arm. "I don't know where I'd be right now if it wasn't for you."

Tom swore Cochise furrowed a pair of non-existent eyebrows at that statement. Unlike other Volm, Tom could see a fascinating amount of human-like expressions on Cochise's face. Though for some reason, this one seemed almost guilty.

"I believe you would be with your offspring right now, if it were not for me being here", Cochise said, shaking his head and mumbling something to himself in his native language. It sounded harsh. "I apologize for disturbing you when-"

"No, no", Tom interrupted. "You did the right thing, keeping me updated." He looked back at the door quickly. "Actually, if you want to, you could come inside for a while? I mean, if you don't have anything else to do? I know the boys like having you around."

The tentative silence that followed almost had Tom take back what he'd just said, out of fear of having said something inappropriate, but then Cochise nodded.

"My primary duty at this time is to maintain our relationship", Cochise said calmly, before quickly stuttering. "The relationship between our two species, that is... Which is something I would be doing in your presence... Maintaining our diplomatic relationship, that is."

Tom just smiled softly as he opened the door and gestured for Cochise to step inside.


	13. Chapter 13

It had barely been five minutes since Tom returned to the infirmary, with Cochise trailing behind him like a shy alien puppy, when there was a hesitant knock on the door.

Weaver made his intentions clear the moment he stepped across the threshold. His drawn face. His squared shoulders. His entire stance radiated seriousness.

"I need to talk to Hal." Weaver announced, although anything he said always sounded more like an order. Right now, however, his voice was slightly quieter than usual. He nodded at Tom with pained understanding. The kind of understanding that only a fellow parent could have.

"Can it wait?", Tom asked, speaking right over Hal. "At least until tomorrow? He's been through a lot, and we'd all like to be together right now."

"Dad. I can take it", Hal protested calmly while sitting up straighter in a hurried attempt to look alright. "We need to get this thing sorted out asap. And hey. It's not like I'm going anywhere. We can talk here."

Weaver looked at Tom for approval, respecting his parental authority. Tom didn't look happy about it, but he eventually sighed and gave in, on the basis that they'd make it fast.

"Alright." Weaver faced Hal directly for the first time since entering the room. "First of all, we need the exact location of the area you were scouting. A recon team will set out at first daylight."

"Okay", Hal said. "If Matt's better by then, I'm coming with."

"You're not going anywhere", Tom interrupted sternly. "You said so yourself."

He looked down at Matt again, who was twitching slightly. He almost wondered if Matt had heard Hal. When he looked up again, he noticed Cochise squirming and tilting his head, like he wanted to say something but was trying not to interfere.

"Cochise?", Tom asked.

The sudden attention to him made Cochise's face shift in color, and he looked at the floor. He hesitated for quite a while before speaking.

"It is simply that, while I have ordered the medical equipment to be prepared... according to our estimates, that will take approximately ten Earth hours. Those of you who you wish to be present for Matthew's examination should not make other plans."

Tom took a second to process the information, but nodded along instinctively.

"Okay", Tom nodded one final time. "Then, yeah. You can talk to Hal, Colonel, as long as Anne thinks it's okay."

Anne, who had been walking back and forth between their private little section and the rest of the infirmary, looked across the room at the mention of her name.

"Oh, that's all well. As long as you're not too loud."

Weaver took that as his cue to approach them properly. Still, he kept a little bit of the distance between himself and the family.

"Then. Like I said-", Weaver began to Hal. "Where exactly was this bunker you found?"

"About two klicks from the northern perimeter", Hal estimated. "It's a pretty secluded area. The stalker who attacked us had to have had some sort of stealth training."

"And what did the bunker look like, before the explosion?"

"I don't know", Hal said. "I didn't get the best look of the place before it blew up around us."

"Did you see anything that looked strange?", Weaver elaborated. "Any strange equipment? Maybe alien tech?"

Hal seemed to consider it for a moment, but ultimately shook his head.

"Not really. From what I gather, it was just your average fallout shelter. All I remember really is a big cabinet..."

Hal's far-away staring at Matt made Ben's stomach turn. It was obvious that the cabinet had some significance in what happened to his brothers. Ben would've rather swallowed barbed wire than think about what it might be exactly. Still, he found himself doing it involuntarily.

"Is that enough information for now?", Ben asked Weaver impatiently. Tom seemed a bit shocked.

Weaver narrowed his eyes at Ben, but instead of looking irritated, his mouth quirked into a small but noticeable smirk. A smirk of pride.

"I suppose we can continue this when everyone's doing better", Weaver concluded. "I'll be in the building."

With that, Weaver bid a wordless farewell to everyone, including Anne, and left to brief the soldiers.

A collective sigh went through the room. The only one who didn't seem less tense after Weaver's departure was Cochise. He didn't yet have enough experience with the Colonel, or human authority figures in general, to feel relieved when they left. However, after gathering that this was a much needed moment of respite for them, he forcibly relaxed his features as much as he could (even daring a gentle smile in Tom's direction), and tried not to think about the stress that laid ahead of them.


End file.
